Online casinos accepting players from Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country situated in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers. Officially referred to as the Republic of Zimbabwe, the country is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the north, and Mozambique to the east. The capital and largest city of Zimbabwe is Harare.

When it comes to online gambling, the activity is neither legal nor illegal. There are no laws that cover this particular sector of entertainment, but still, it is a fact that people gamble online. They do so mostly on offshore gambling platforms filled with all sorts of slots, video poker, table games and other casino games.

One of the main reasons for the relatively slow progress in regulating the iGaming industry has to do with the internet coverage of the country. According to the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) Q2 2022 report, the Internet penetration rate stood at 61.3 percent.

Laws and Regulations

The gambling industry of Zimbabwe is regulated by the Lotteries and Gaming Act 1998. There’s a Board as well, whose main functions, among all, are the regulation and control of lotteries and gaming activities, and issuing approvals for gaming devices.

A person interested in conducting lotteries, installing or operating a gaming device, or operating a casino may apply for a license. If the interested party fulfills the conditions, the license is granted for a period of 10 years, after which it is possible to apply for renewal.

“Gaming devices”, as defined by the Act, include “any equipment or mechanical, electromechanical or electronic device, component or machine which is used, directly or indirectly, for the purposes of a game and which brings about the result of a wager by determining win or loss.”

The term “game” refers to “any game, irrespective of whether or not its result is determined by chance, played with playing cards, dice or a gaming device for money, property, credit or anything of value, other than an opportunity to play a further game”. It includes activities such as roulette, bingo, twenty-one, blackjack, chemin de fer, baccarat and computerized racing.

Player Protection and Responsible Gambling Measures

According to the Act, any holder of a casino license or any employee or agent of such a license who permits a minor to enter gambling premises will be considered guilty. Such a person will be conducted to 6 years imprisonment. This is pretty much the only player protection measure in place, and it refers to land-based betting venues.

Regarding online gambling, players need to inform themselves of the available protection measures and ensure they gamble in a safe and secure environment.

How so?

By paying attention to the license, in the first place. A license confirms that an operator is running a business in accordance with industry standards and guidelines imposed by a regulatory body. The clickable seal is usually displayed in the footer, so players can click on it and confirm the status at any time.

Other than this, they should look for the “Responsible Gambling” section on the casino’s official website, where a variety of handy tools can be found such as:

• Deposit, loss, and wager limits
• Reality check
• Cool-off and self-exclusion

Each of these options can be activated for a specific period of time, for example, a day, week, or month. Cool-off and self-exclusion can be applied for longer periods- a couple of months or even a year. As for the reality check, a player is either sent a notification during the gaming session or a timer is present throughout the entire game, on the main screen.

Payment Methods and Banking

The official currency of the country is the Zimbabwean dollar (ZWL) also known as the Zimdollar, Zollar, or Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) dollar. To be more precise, it was the only official currency in the country from June 2019 to March 2020, after which Zimbabwe legalized foreign currencies again.

Alongside ZWL, another official currency is the United States dollar (USD). It’s interesting to mention that Cambodia and Zimbabwe are the only countries that simultaneously have USD and local currencies as official. Having in mind that the number of online casinos which accept USD is rather huge (and on the continuous rise), players from Zimbabwe have plenty of options at their disposal.

As of 2022, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has banned the banking use of cryptocurrency, however, the High Court lifted the ban. The Reserve Bank has filed a notice of objection with the Court, but the outcome is not yet known.

Yet, what we do know is that in March 2020, Apollo Fintech, a leading financial technology company dedicated to developing cutting-edge fintech solutions signed the MOA with Zimbabwean Bank. As far as agreed, Apollo will be in charge of developing and operating 3 national solutions as well as a gold-backed digital currency.

So, technically, the status of cryptocurrencies is still undefined. They are neither outlawed nor officially accepted, so people can use them at their own risk. On the other hand, when interacting with trustworthy crypto-friendly online casinos, players won’t encounter issues such as delayed or unprocessed payments, refusals to pay winnings, and similar.

What Should Players from Zimbabwe Pay Attention to When Selecting a Casino?

Inspecting whether an online casino has a license and responsible gambling sector are just two of a couple more tasks a player should do before making a real money deposit. While all gambling platforms look interesting at the first sight, it would be wise to scratch the shiny surface a bit and see:

• What’s the selection of games and content providers like? Is the portfolio easy to navigate? How does it work on mobile devices?
• Are the minimum and maximum amounts for deposits and withdrawals fair or too low/ too high? What about pending and processing time? Are fees applied on cashouts?
• Does an operator offer bonuses and promotions? Is there any loyalty program or some other incentives?
• How many channels of communication with the customer support department are there? Is the support team available 24/7?

Once you have all these questions answered, it will be much easier to decide where to deposit and play. Ideally, this analysis should be conducted whenever you are presented with a new online casino so that you know what to expect.

Have fun and gamble responsibly!

FAQ

Is it legal to gamble online in Zimbabwe?

Online gambling is neither legal nor illegal in Zimbabwe. There are no laws and regulations for the iGaming sector, yet people visit foreign betting platforms to place bets, play games, and claim bonuses.

Is demo play available in Zimbabwe-friendly online casinos?

Yes, numerous casinos allow their players to test games and have a couple of rounds for free before they switch to real money mode. In the majority of cases, this option is available to all players, but a limited number of casinos require registration for demo play.

What kind of online casino bonuses can players from Zimbabwe claim?

Some of the most popular incentives include welcome bonuses, free spins, and cashback. Other than this, players from Zimbabwe can claim match bonuses, reload bonuses, take part in tournaments, use Refer a Friend program or even join the Loyalty Program and collect points.

Can players from Zimbabwe gamble on mobile devices?

Of course, mobile gambling is popular all over the world, and Zimbabwe is no exception. Players from this part of the world can launch their favorite casino games while out and about.

What are the most popular online casino games in Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwean players like slots because they require no skills to be played and table games, as they usually come with excellent odds, provided that a player knows what they are doing. Sports betting is popular in this country as well.